Firefly
by Wolfgirl91
Summary: My first Naruto story about a girl in a difficult situation, beaten as a child but escaping and learning the shinobi way. Rated T for themes of torture.


**Author's Note: T** **his is my first Naruto story so I welcome any constructive criticism. :)**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does.

 **Chapter 1**

Light prickled through my eyelids as it filtered harshly through the gently swaying trees, marking the beginning of the sunrise. My eyes snapped open – I was late! Fear and apprehension crept uneasily through my stiff body as I hurriedly pulled the twigs from my hair; there was no time for a wash in the stream so I ran clumsily to start my duties before someone noticed my absence. My short weak legs shuddered in effort and gasping for breath, I stumbled into the house, climbing on and off the chairs to set the table for the master's breakfast.

Yuudai Himura is my master and the other servants have told me he was my father too. My father is the Hokorikage, leader of the Village Hidden in the Dust. His name shows him to be a great hero, he has led our village into battle with the neighbouring villages, crushing them and taking what he liked to call the spoils of war. In reality though, he was a brute who enjoyed watching the suffering and pain of others. My name is Hitorí Himura, my father's favourite living punch bag. Who would believe my pitiful self was the daughter of such a 'noble' man? My little life of three years had no happiness, only scars to prove the reality of the nightmare.

I like to think my father wasn't always such an awful man. Some say he changed after my mother's death when she gave birth to me, leaving me an only child with one parent who couldn't bring himself to love me. It was bad enough that he hated me for that, but then I had to go and be born a girl. My father needed an heir but I had killed my mother in child birth so he couldn't have a son. His bitterness drove him to despise me and take all his anger out on him. He married a woman, a pretty face nothing more. There was no love, not surprising considering she was an abhorrent woman whose only likeness with my father was her love of beating me. They had a son, who they spoiled and trained in the shinobi ways. They never looked twice at me and he grew up to hate me. He jeered at me along with everyone else. He wasn't family to me, he never would be.

After my village's last battle, we fell out of favour and out of history. Our brutish nature was kept quiet from everyone else as no one talked about us anymore, we fell into non-existence. My father cared for nothing and no one nowadays and slowly the village fell into poverty, civilians were neglected and feared my father above all else. They feared the man who had sworn to protect them, the Yondaime Hokorikage. In my childish mind, I couldn't help but think there was something wrong with that, even without knowing how the world worked.

There's something else you should know, the real reason why I am hated and treated this way. When I was a foetus, not yet born, my father took the forest spirit from our land and sealed it inside of me, in the hope that his child would grow strong and lead our village after him. When my mother died though, and I was born a girl, everyone followed my father's example and despised me. They called me Demon and feared my power would be too monstrous with the spirit's power and my kekkei genkai combining, so I was never taught the shinobi way, instead used as a slave. The Himuras had a kekkei genkai that allowed us to wield all five elements and even some of the rare combinations such as ice release. One of the nicer servants had told me this, but I had never been taught how to use it.

There was only one thing I thanked my family for and that was something I never thought would be a good thing. My family treated me like an animal, like the wolf spirit Ōkami no Seishin and so made me sleep outside in the forest with guards to keep me from escaping. I never used to understand until one day a voice spoke in my head, the voice of the Ōkami no Seishin. She explained that what my master and father does to me was barbaric and that I was meant to run free and fight to protect those I love. I remember asking her "Love? What is love?" She replied that ' _ **Love is when you would do anything to protect someone or something. Love is when you would give up your life for something.'**_ I didn't understand and thought that I was a bad person for I had not felt that way about anything before. "It's true" I had said, "I really am a demon." The wolf spirit told me that it wasn't my fault and that she would show me love. She said ' _ **My name is Kyūseishu and I protect all life. Therefore I love all innocents and so I look after them with my healing powers. With me by your side I will make you a great Iryo-nin.'**_ "Iryo-nin?" I questioned, never having heard the word before. _**'A medical ninja. I will teach you so that you may help those you come to love. You will learn that I am not like the other demons such as the tailed beasts. I thank you for giving me inhabitance and I do feel rather responsible for the trouble it has caused you.'**_ Despite being 3 years old and not knowing some of the vocabulary Kyūseishu used, I understood. The mental link we had gave me the first sense of comfort my pathetic existence had ever had.

I had been shivering in the mud of the forest. It was a cold, clear night and you could see the distant stars. Sensing my unrest, Kyūseishu did something rather unexpected. Inside the darkness of my mind, she howled a melancholy song. That same sound echoed from my own mouth, shocking me. Soon, through the silence of the night I heard a steady loping beat and through the dark came three magnificent beasts. Wolves. Sniffing the air, their gleaming eyes locked on my frail form, and slowly gathered round me, lending me their warmth. The stars that had seemed so cold and distant now burned with a warmth and beauty I had never appreciated, dancing like fireflies. For the first time ever, I fell asleep peacefully with no nightmares, knowing the wolves would protect me. I knew from then on that I was grateful to Kyūseishu and it was with the wolves that I first experienced feelings of love.

Now, after a hard day's work and getting beaten ruthlessly for being late, I limped into the clearing wear over the months my rapidly learning 3 year old self had built a shelter, large enough for not only myself, but for the wolves who accompanied me. Over the months I had met more of the pack and almost felt a part of it. I was more attached to them than any humans I had ever encountered. If that made my strange then I didn't care because I wouldn't give the warmth and bonds I shared with them up for anything. Shinobu, the pack leader came forward and I curled my fist into his silky fur, leaning on him as he led me to the nearby stream to wash. Haru and Hikaru also came up, nudging me and Haru splashed in the water. The mischievous little wolf, only a cub had flicked water at both Hikaru, his twin sister and Shinobu. They howled and snarled albeit affectionately and Haru darted behind me in cheerful abashment. I smiled in amusement whilst Hikaru admonished him.

Their joy abandoned them though when they spotted my wounds. Great welts lined my back from the whip and cuts and bruises littered my body, joining the few other scars there. Usually I didn't have a problem with scars as Kyūseishu healed them but the particularly deep ones left even paler lines on my already pale skin.

' _It's fine'_ I told them. Another useful thing with being the jiinchuriki of a wolf spirit was that I gained the ability to communicate through my mind, although it took a bit of getting used to. I had spent many an hour when I should have been sleeping, trying to communicate with my friends. When I first heard Shinobu's voice answer in my head I had cried, overcome with emotion. _'It's not fine,'_ they replied, _'how can it be fine when you are hurt? Come let us help.'_ I laid on the grass in the shelter as I hung my clothes up to dry. They hung ragged and worn, grey and itchy from age. Shinobu led Haru and Hikaru over with the rest of the pack. They licked and tended to my wounds, drawing on the Ōkami no Seishin's healing powers. I fell asleep quickly, relaxed and curled up against my very own furry heaters.

 **Please let me know what you think, hopefully I'll update soon. Thanks :).**


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